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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker responds to questions during a visit to Crossing Healthcare in Decatur on Wednesday, March 17. Pritzker was highlighting efforts to make vaccine access more equitable across the state. Clay Jackson
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker responds to questions during a visit to Crossing Healthcare in Decatur on Wednesday, March 17. Pritzker was highlighting efforts to make vaccine access more equitable across the state. Clay Jackson
State Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, speaks at a press event with Gov. JB Pritzker at Crossing Healthcare in Decatur on Wednesday, March 17. Pritzker was highlighting efforts to make vaccine access more equitable across the state.Â
DECATUR â The Rev. Wayne Dunning visibly braced himself for a sharp stick when getting his COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, but it was already done.
âHe tricked me,â Dunning said, laughing, afterward. Brendan Spence, a pharmacist with Walgreens, had told him he was going to count to three and give the injection, but he actually did it while he was talking.
Spence told Dunning to take a seat for 15 minutes in case of a reaction, which is rare, Spence said. Some people might feel faint, which is often due to anxiety rather than the vaccine, and rarely, there is an allergic reaction. Dunning had none of that and said the injection site wasn t even painful.
Capitol News Illinois is reporting on a new COVID response effort.
DECATUR â Decatur resident Kathy Davis, 69, knows firsthand the frustration that exists when it comes to trying to arrange for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment.
Davis and her husband were turned away after arriving too late for a mass vaccination event hosted by the Macon County Health Department at Progress City USA on the Richland Community College campus.
âBy the time we got there that morning, there was a police officer saying âSorry, full. Youâre going to have to turn around and go homeâ,â Davis remembered.
At least the rejection was quick that time around. She spent two hours on the phone before coming away with the same result during an attempt to schedule a vaccine appointment.
BRENDEN MOORE
DECATUR â Crossing Healthcare in Decatur will administer vaccines as part of a pilot program to increase equity in distribution, Gov. J.B. Pritzker s office announced Wednesday.Â
The Decatur health provider was one of five federally qualified health centers along with five safety net hospitals across the state chosen to participate in the program, which is meant to increase vaccine access to providers interacting with marginalized populations.Â
The state will provide each site with 300 to 500 doses of vaccine per week beyond the allocation already going to local health departments and pharmacies.
âThis new pilot program builds on robust efforts by the administration to ensure equity is at the center of the stateâs Vaccine Administration Plan, Pritzker said in a statement. By partnering with providers in underserved communities we can reduce vaccine hesitancy and ensure we are reaching Illinoisans in the communities they call hom
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